Smart Hearing Aids Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline with Dr. Rachel Artsma Hear.com TRANSCRIPT
Release Date: 08/20/2026
Smart Hearing Aids Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline with Dr. Rachel Artsma Hear.com TRANSCRIPT
Empowered Patient Podcast
Dr. Rachel Artsma, lead audiologist at hear.com offers comprehensive hearing care services and she emphasizes how dramatically hearing aids have evolved from earlier generations. Bluetooth connectivity, rechargeable batteries, and real-time environmental adjustments are now being driven by smart chips in the devices, which also allow direct streaming of phone calls, music, and driving directions. Untreated hearing loss can lead to auditory deprivation, in which the brain does not receive clear auditory input, resulting in increased cognitive strain and a decline in cognitive function. Rachel...
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Smart Hearing Aids Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline with Dr. Rachel Artsma Hear.com
Empowered Patient Podcast
Dr. Rachel Artsma, lead audiologist at hear.com offers comprehensive hearing care services and she emphasizes how dramatically hearing aids have evolved from earlier generations. Bluetooth connectivity, rechargeable batteries, and real-time environmental adjustments are now being driven by smart chips in the devices, which also allow direct streaming of phone calls, music, and driving directions. Untreated hearing loss can lead to auditory deprivation, in which the brain does not receive clear auditory input, resulting in increased cognitive strain and a decline in cognitive function. Rachel...
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Parkinson’s Disease Management Transformed by AI-Powered Longitudinal Tracking with Amy Gordon Franzen Rune Labs TRANSCRIPT
Empowered Patient Podcast
Amy Gordon Franzen, CEO of Rune Labs, developed StrivePD, a patient-facing app that supports those with Parkinson's disease by passively tracking their movements and collecting longitudinal data on tremor, gait, and activity patterns. The technology addresses a critical gap in neurodegenerative disease management by providing continuous, objective data that enables patients and clinicians to make more informed treatment decisions. There is also an AI chatbot that allows patients to interrogate their data and receive personalized insights while enabling clinicians and drug developers to...
info_outline
Parkinson’s Disease Management Transformed by AI-Powered Longitudinal Tracking with Amy Gordon Franzen Rune Labs
Empowered Patient Podcast
Amy Gordon Franzen, CEO of Rune Labs, developed StrivePD, a patient-facing app that supports those with Parkinson's disease by passively tracking their movements and collecting longitudinal data on tremor, gait, and activity patterns. The technology addresses a critical gap in neurodegenerative disease management by providing continuous, objective data that enables patients and clinicians to make more informed treatment decisions. There is also an AI chatbot that allows patients to interrogate their data and receive personalized insights while enabling clinicians and drug developers to...
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Gene Therapy for Treating Root Cause of Severe Food Allergies with Dr. Sid Kerkar AllerGene AI TRANSCRIPT
Empowered Patient Podcast
Dr. Sid Kerkar, CEO and Founder of AllerGene AI Therapeutics, is developing in vivo gene therapy for severe food allergies, where symptoms are currently treated rather than root causes. AllerGene AI is targeting mast cells, which are immune cells responsible for triggering allergic reactions, and their approach represents a significant opportunity to prevent these reactions. Unlike traditional cell therapy, this technology modifies cells within the body to recognize and eliminate armed mast cells, allowing the body to repopulate with non-reactive cells, preventing severe allergic reactions...
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Gene Therapy for Treating Root Cause of Severe Food Allergies with Dr. Sid Kerkar AllerGene AI
Empowered Patient Podcast
Dr. Sid Kerkar, CEO and Founder of AllerGene AI Therapeutics, is developing in vivo gene therapy for severe food allergies, where symptoms are currently treated rather than root causes. AllerGene AI is targeting mast cells, which are immune cells responsible for triggering allergic reactions, and their approach represents a significant opportunity to prevent these reactions. Unlike traditional cell therapy, this technology modifies cells within the body to recognize and eliminate armed mast cells, allowing the body to repopulate with non-reactive cells, preventing severe allergic reactions...
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Virtual Transitionist Model Reduces Complications after Acute Care Events with Dr. David Feldman Dimer Health TRANSCRIPT
Empowered Patient Podcast
Dr. David Feldman is the Chief Medical Officer at Dimer Health, a virtual care medical practice designed to improve patient outcomes during the critical 1-3 days following hospital discharge, outpatient surgery, or emergency room visits. The company addresses the gap in post-acute care between hospital care and primary care follow-up by proactive monitoring, medication management, and pain control. Inspired by the hospitalist model, Dimer is defining a transitionist model that is tailored to each patient's needs and home environment, intervening early on minor complications to reduce...
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Virtual Transitionist Model Reduces Complications after Acute Care Events with Dr. David Feldman Dimer Health
Empowered Patient Podcast
Dr. David Feldman is the Chief Medical Officer at Dimer Health, a virtual care medical practice designed to improve patient outcomes during the critical 1-3 days following hospital discharge, outpatient surgery, or emergency room visits. The company addresses the gap in post-acute care between hospital care and primary care follow-up by proactive monitoring, medication management, and pain control. Inspired by the hospitalist model, Dimer is defining a transitionist model that is tailored to each patient's needs and home environment, intervening early on minor complications to reduce...
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Certified Drug Label Translations in 26 Languages for Limited English Proficient Patients with Sharon Blank RxTran TRANSCRIPT
Empowered Patient Podcast
Sharon Blank, CEO of RxTran, highlights the value of certified translations of prescription dosing instructions in 26 languages to ensure that limited-English-proficient patients can understand dosing and medication risks. The organization works with pharmacies to deliver translations created by native-speaking pharmacists rather than by automated systems or untrained interpreters. As this LEP population grows, RxTran advocates for standardized, human-verified translation practices to ensure healthcare access and patient safety across all populations. Sharon explains, "So RxTran’s...
info_outline
Certified Drug Label Translations in 26 Languages for Limited English Proficient Patients with Sharon Blank RxTran
Empowered Patient Podcast
Sharon Blank, CEO of RxTran, highlights the value of certified translations of prescription dosing instructions in 26 languages to ensure that limited-English-proficient patients can understand dosing and medication risks. The organization works with pharmacies to deliver translations created by native-speaking pharmacists rather than by automated systems or untrained interpreters. As this LEP population grows, RxTran advocates for standardized, human-verified translation practices to ensure healthcare access and patient safety across all populations. Sharon explains, "So RxTran’s...
info_outlineDr. Rachel Artsma, lead audiologist at hear.com offers comprehensive hearing care services and she emphasizes how dramatically hearing aids have evolved from earlier generations. Bluetooth connectivity, rechargeable batteries, and real-time environmental adjustments are now being driven by smart chips in the devices, which also allow direct streaming of phone calls, music, and driving directions. Untreated hearing loss can lead to auditory deprivation, in which the brain does not receive clear auditory input, resulting in increased cognitive strain and a decline in cognitive function.
Rachel explains, "Hearing loss can happen really gradually, and so oftentimes it can go unnoticed. What we do is we like to educate people on the early signs of hearing loss, such as asking others to repeat themselves, turning the television up, or family members noticing it before them. And then when it comes to the actual hearing test, we do a full comprehensive audiological evaluation. In that audiological evaluation, we sometimes see signs of other health issues. We do make referrals to other specialists such as ear, nose, and throat physicians if we're seeing that something else might be happening in the health of that person."
"I honestly feel like one of the most exciting developments in hearing healthcare is our growing understanding of the hearing-brain connection. We really don't hear with our ears. We really hear with our brain. Our ears are collecting the sound, but our brain is really giving that sound meaning. So what can happen if we don't treat hearing loss and it goes untreated is something called auditory deprivation, which essentially just means we're depriving the brain of the sound that it's looking for. And what happens is the brain then has to work a little harder and devote extra resources to decoding that speech and sound. And that extra effort is what can lead to some strain on other cognitive functions such as memory. So we see that that strain, because we hear with our brain, can lead to some of those other cognitive functions declining."
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